Enemy 1
by boswifedeb
Summary: Matt and Uncle Roy have tracked down "Enemy #1's" hideout.  Can Matt fight the war on terror and survive? Just borrowing the characters for a bit.
1. Chapter 1

**Enemy #1**

**Chapter 1**

"He's just some rich guy-cowboy-oil millionaire who wants to pretend he's a SEAL" said Cdr. Merker. "Maybe he has some good intel, but there's no way in hell he's going in with us. "

"Merker, you might want to rethink your assessment of Capt. Houston. He served in the Rangers during the war and received four Purple Hearts, the Bronze Star, the Silver Star, and the Medal of Honor. He's no light-weight-wanna-be. Plus, his uncle used to work for the agency and has all kinds of intelligence connections. Using the information they've been able to gather, we stand our best chance of locating and taking out "Enemy #1". We all know how important this is: he has been tied not only to all of the consulate bombings, but to the attacks on England, France, Germany, and Australia. If we take him out, the terrorists will lose the majority of their planning and financing. Houston is going and that's all there is to it. Understood?" Rear Admiral Tompkins glared at the man before him.

"Yes, sir, but I believe his role should be limited to advisement only" Merker replied.

"I don't believe you have the authority to insist on limiting his role in any way. Commander, get with the program: Houston is going in as a team member, just the same as any other SEAL. He doesn't want or expect any special treatment. Is that understood?" Tompkins asked.

"Yes, sir!" Merker snapped to attention. "Will that be all, sir?"

"Yes, Merker, that's all. " He watched the SEAL as he headed for the door. "Merker, give the guy a chance. He just might surprise you."

"SEALS don't care much for surprises, sir." With that he stalked out of the admiral's office.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Matt, why won't you tell me where you're going? It's not like you to act like this. Are you mad? Is it something I said? Did? What! Talk to me, please!" CJ was trying to hold back the tears, but just couldn't.

"CJ, it's nothing like that. I've got some business to take care of, and you can't go with me this time. Honest, baby. I'm not mad. How could I be? You're the best thing to ever happen to me." Houston pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. "Look, when I get back, let's go to Hawaii. We can visit Mama and Vince and the rest of the Novelli clan. We can find a shack on the beach and spend time together – just the two of us. Whatever you want to do. Okay? But right now I've got a plane to catch and not much time."

"Well you aren't packing much. In what kind of a business meeting would you be wearing this?" she asked as she held up his shoulder holster.

"CJ, I don't have time for this right now. I'm your husband, you're supposed to trust me, remember?" said Matt, taking the holster from her hand and repacking it in his bag.

"Matt, that works both ways."

"Look CJ, when I get back I can tell you all about it, but right now I just can't. " He quickly zipped the bag closed and hoisted it to his shoulder. "I love you more than anything, you know that."

Just then there was a knock on the door. CJ opened it to find a man in a Navy uniform standing there. "I'm here to pick up Capt. Houston, Ma'am." he said.

"Captain? Matt what -. Please, whatever it is that you're doing, please be careful. Okay?" CJ couldn't control the emotion in her voice.

"I will, darlin'. I promise. Be back soon as I can." With that he gave her a kiss on the cheek and left, quietly shutting the door behind him. CJ felt a chill go through her body. _Captain Houston? He hasn't been in the army for - how many years? What is going on? _ she thought to herself.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Uncle Roy, I know you know what's going on. The two of you have been hunkered together day and night for the last month. Where is he going?" CJ asked Roy Houston.

"CJ, you've been around enough to know that sometimes it's best not to ask too many questions. Matt is doing something that's not only important for the safety of this country, but for the world. Let's just leave it at that." Roy tried his best to comfort her, but was afraid that he had done just the opposite.

"So now instead of going out and getting shot trying to catch child molesters and rapists, he's going on a crusade for the entire world? Really, Uncle Roy? And what about me, what am I supposed to do if something happens to him? Has anybody thought about that besides me?" She dissolved into tears and sat down on the couch in the office. Uncle Roy came and sat beside her, taking her hands in his.

"CJ, look at me. Matt has been struggling with this decision. But he knows that what he's doing can make a big difference in the world: the world that he's planning to bring children into with you. That's exactly what he told me last night. I've never heard him talk about children before. But he's wanting to make this a more secure place for them – and for you. We've got to back him up on this, CJ. It's the least we can do. You've trusted him practically your whole life. Now is not the time to turn your back on him." Roy looked her straight in the eye. "You know it as well as I do."

CJ nodded her head. "It's just that after we've finally gotten together, it feels like everything is going to fall apart." She laid her head on his shoulder. Roy patted her back and said "You know Matt. He's going to be just fine."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_Not exactly as smooth as my jet_ Houston thought to himself as the C-2A Greyhound hurtled through more turbulence. He looked around the cargo bay at the others on board. His reception at the base had been less than enthusiastic and the attitude certainly hadn't improved during their time in the air. Cdr. Merker walked back to where Houston was seated.

"You do realize this isn't the wild west we're going to be dealing with here, don't you, Tex? " he said with a sneer. "No Jesse James or Billy the Kid. Just crazy extremists who have nothing better in mind than terrorizing and tormenting the rest of the world. They don't care how much money you have or what kind of car you drive. They want you dead. Period."

"Believe it or not, Commander, I do know that. And I left my horse at home." Houston shot right back at him.

"Hmph. We'll see how you like hanging out with the SEALS soon enough. The admiral was telling me all about your medals and how you were a Ranger. Well I've got some news for you: Rangers don't make a pimple on a SEAL's ass. And I don't intend to waste my time or that of my men to babysit some past-his-prime- wanna-be. You will do as you are ordered and that's that." Merker stalked back to the forward section of the bay.

One of the younger SEALS moved down next to Houston. "Sir, don't let him get to you. He's tough on all of us, especially us younger guys. Guess maybe we're too much competition for him." He shook Matt's hand. "Name's Joey DiMaggio – Slugger for short. Guess you can figure that one out easy enough, huh?" Houston smiled. "Most folks just call me Houston. Nice to meet you. How about these other fellas? It helps to know a little something about the folks you're gonna be working with."

"Well, let's see. That guy all the way forward there is Jerry Kutsik – we call him Kutter. Next to him is Brandon Bybee – Surfer Boy. Then that fellow there that's asleep – that's Mike Nathan. Call him Hotdog. He's our corpsman. " Slugger looked back at Houston. "I heard the Commander say you were a Ranger. So was my dad. He was kinda disappointed when I joined the SEALs."

Houston smiled and replied "I doubt that."

The red light came on overhead. "Looks like we're fixing to land. Better hold on tight." said DiMaggio.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"So our best chance to eliminate the target is at 03:00. We will leave here at approximately 02:30. Once we enter the landing zone, there will be complete radio silence until we begin the entry into the compound. You have been assigned your codenames. I am Mr. Black" said Merker.

"Kutsik will be gray, Bybee is blue, Nathan is red, DiMaggio will be brown, and Houston will be green. Any questions?" Merker looked around the room. "You have fifteen minutes before lift-off. "

Houston removed his Sig Sauer 9226 from his shoulder holster and rechecked the load. The other men also checked their weapons which ranged from a Remington shotgun that had been modified, to H & K MP5's, and M4's, as well as an M25 sniper rifle. Houston was surprised to see that Slugger was to be their sniper for the op.

"Guess we better get a move on" Slugger said. They made their way out to the specially equipped Blackhawk helicopter that was waiting for them. Houston followed Slugger onboard. After getting seated, he pulled his St. Christopher medal out of his shirt and looked at the picture of CJ that he had taped to the back of it the night before. "She's a beaut!" yelled Slugger above the noise of the turning rotors. "Yep, she's a keeper for sure" said Houston as he put the medal back inside his shirt.

After everyone boarded the all-clear was given and they took off into the black night sky. Houston found himself thinking about CJ, but then reminded himself to keep focused on the mission. Lack of focus could get him killed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The 30 minute flight seemed a lot shorter. As they neared the landing zone, each man again rechecked his weapons. Houston had been assigned to immediately follow Merker into the target area so that he would be close enough to give pertinent information, yet be still somewhat protected. They left the Blackhawk, and got into their entry formation. The Blackhawk was definitely modified: it made almost no sound as it lifted back into the air, running in complete blackout. It reminded Houston of a large bat swooping away.

The area was extremely dark. Only two lights were visible: one at the guard shack in front of the compound and one that was on the balcony of the main house. As the SEALs expertly maneuvered toward the guard shack there was very little sound as a silenced MP5 took out the two guards inside. Kutter quickly moved the guards behind some nearby barrels.

At this point the unit divided into two groups of three: Houston, Slugger, and Kutter were team A and Merker, Bybee, and Nathan were team B. Houston and Kutter knelt down and gave Slugger a boost to the top of the compound wall. Then Kutter gave Houston a leg up as Slugger reached down and helped him to the top of the wall. Then Slugger and Houston both reached down and helped Kutter up to the top. They immediately jumped down and rolled to try to muffle the sounds of their landing. By this time both teams were ready to hit the main building.

They resumed their entry formation, with Houston in the middle. They swiftly and quietly made their way across the open courtyard to the side door of the main building. After watching the compound for over a month using his own private satellite, Houston and Uncle Roy had decided that this was the best place to make entry.

Nathan found the fuse box located near the door and traced the wires for the security system. Within seconds it was deactivated. He gave the go-ahead sign to Merker, who proceeded to pick the three locks on the door.

Once inside the building, the SEALs were at a slight disadvantage: they didn't know which room the target was in. Houston had estimated that there were six rooms in the building: a kitchen, a bath, and four bedrooms. After watching the house for so long, he thought that the target was using the northeast bedroom on the second floor.

The team carefully made their way up the stairs. As they approached the first bedroom Merker decided to try it instead of going on to the northeast bedroom. Houston tapped his shoulder and shook his head no at him, and pointed to the other bedroom. Merker shook his head no and eased the door open. In the little bit of light that entered the room from the balcony Houston could make out 3 children in their beds. As the team carefully moved back out into the hall, up popped the head of one of the children. "Walid! Walid!" shouted the boy.

The SEALS ran quickly to the next bedroom and burst through the door. There was the target. He sat bolt upright in bed and fired several shots at the intruders. Houston heard a gasp and saw Slugger go down. He had been hit in the throat. The other SEALS threw flash-bang grenades: one in the direction of the target and one in the direction of the children's room. These gave them just enough of an advantage to rush the target and disarm him. However, six guards came running up the steps. Shots were fired from both parties. Houston was covering Slugger, who was doing his best to apply pressure to his wound. As the guards topped the stairs, Houston took out three of them while Kutter took out the other three. Houston grabbed a towel that was lying on a chair in the hallway and tied it around Slugger's neck. Merker had cuffed the target and was working on taking him out of the room. Just then, eight more guards appeared on the stairs. More shots were fired. Houston was supporting the injured Slugger and firing at the guards at the same time. The team made their way down the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs the SEALs were met by more of the guards. "How many of these guys did you say there were?" Nathan asked incredulously. "Not sure. They must be stacked up in here like cord wood" replied Houston as he fired more rounds at their attackers. He grabbed the sniper rifle from the semi-conscious Slugger and kept moving toward the door with the other men. Once outside, Merker called for the Blackhawk to move in. They were almost to the chopper when Houston looked up and saw one of the guards on the balcony with a rocket launcher. He quickly eased the young SEAL down to the ground, brought the sniper rifle up and fired almost simultaneously. The guard crumpled up on the balcony. Merker saw what had happened and looked almost in shock. He quickly recovered and they continued moving toward the Blackhawk.

As they got nearer to the chopper Houston again checked the balcony and saw yet another guard attempting to get off a shot with the rocket launcher. Again he brought up the sniper rifle and instantly pulled the trigger. Down went the guard, pulling the trigger on the rocket launcher and firing it into the midst of the guards who were still swarming the compound.

At last they made it to the chopper. Kutter had also been hit and was bleeding heavily from his left leg. Once the target was loaded, the wounded were loaded and the helicopter took off into the dark night. Just then Houston looked around at the target and noticed that there was a wire sticking out of his left sleeve. "Bomb!" he thought to himself. He grabbed Merker's arm and pointed to the wire. The commander ripped open the man's shirt, only to find a bomb strapped to his chest. He and Houston looked at each other. Without a word, Houston grabbed the left arm of the target while Merker grabbed the right arm. Together they threw him out of the helicopter. The bomb exploded before he hit the ground. The two men looked at each other and smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The Blackhawk landed back at the base. Houston choked up a little as he and Merker unloaded the body of young Joey DiMaggio. They carried him into the hospital building. Once inside, Matt noticed a splotch of blood spreading across the right shoulder of the commander. "Commander, looks like you've been hit. Better get that looked at" said Houston. Merker looked at Houston's left shoulder and said "Same to ya, Tex. Better get checked out yourself."


	8. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"I bet I've gained ten pounds since we got here" Houston said as Mama Novelli brought out yet two more platters filled with Italian delicacies. "You eat, huh? You gotta get your strength built up. I want more grandkids. Vincenzo only gave me four so I'm counting on you. Eat! Eat!" Mama was happier than she had been in a long time. She and the rest of the Novelli's loved living in Hawaii, but they missed Houston and CJ.

"You heard her, pal, she's counting on you!" laughed Vince. He raised his glass in a toast.

Later that evening, after eating mountains of pasta and pizza, Houston and CJ had finally slipped away from the Novelli's and were walking hand in hand along the beach.

"So what do you think?" Houston asked CJ. "How many kids are we going to have? Maybe if we had enough for a baseball team Mama would be happy." They both laughed.

"Well, at least we've got a start" she replied. Houston stopped in his tracks. "We do?" he said. CJ gave him a big smile as she said "Yep, he should make his appearance in about seven months."

"Now what makes you think it's gonna be a boy?" Houston said. "Have you had an ultrasound done?"

"No, not yet. It's just a feeling I've got." Houston reached for her and pulled her to him. They shared a slow, scorching kiss just as the sun dipped down over the horizon.


End file.
